Curtain-support.



No. 830,251. PATENTED SEPT. 4, 1906. H. G..SGHOPIELD. CURTAIN SUPPORT.

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP 0124. 1905.

HARRIET C. SCHOFIELD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CURTAIN-SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 4, 1906.

Application filed October 24. 1905. Serial No. 284,260.

To all whom it ntay concern.

Be it known that I, HARRIET C. SoHorrELn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Curtain-Supports, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for supporting curtains, window-shades, and the like; and its object is to provide an improved support for the curtain pole or rod, to the end of doing away with the usual brackets, which are more or less unsightly in appearance and are a fruitful source of damage to a building or the window-frames thereof, providing con cealed end-thrust bearings for the rod or pole and facilitating the convenient insertion or removal thereof.

IVith the above object in view my invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, hereinafter described in detail, illustrated in the drawings, and incorporated in the claim.

In the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates longitudinal sections of the supports for the curtain-rod and an end view thereof, together with fragments of the window-frame and the pole or rod partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a face view of a window-frame and window to which my invention has been applied. Fig. 3 shows a vertical section through Fig. 1, taken at right angles to the plane of said figure. Fig. 4 is the open end view of one of the socket-pieces.

Referring in detail to the several views, 2 and 3 represent the sides, and 4 and 5 the bottom and top, respectively, of a windowframe having an upper sash 6 and a lower sash 7 therein.

7 is the usual window-shade, mounted on the usual roller 8. In front of the latter are a pair of sockets 9 and 10, adapted to receive the ends of the curtain-rod 11. Each of these sockets is a cylindrical member closed at one end. The socket 10 is of greater depth than the socket 9 in order to accommodate a spring 12, arranged to bear against one end of the curtain-rod and press the opposite end against the bottom 13 of the socket 9. Each socket is shown provided with a flange 14, which bears against the outer face of side pieces 2 and 3. The faces of the side pieces may be countersunk to receive the flanges 14, if preferred, at the outer ends of openings 15 and 16, made in the side pieces for said sockets. In Fig. 1 they are shown sunk to a depth bringing the flanges 14 flush with the outer faces of the side pieces 2 and 3. The rod is mounted in its position shown in the several views by first inserting its end 17 in the socket 10 and pushing it inwardly against the tension of the spring 12 until the end 18 of the rod can pass the outer end of socket 9 and enter the latter. By providing a long socket 10 and spring 12 considerable endwise movement can be provided for, sons to make possible the use of rods of different lengths within reasonable limits of variation.

The several advantages accruing from my invention are that the curtain supports or sockets can be mounted in a window-frame by merely boring two holes, and when the sockets are inserted in these the supports are concealed almost entirely and become a permanent part of the window-frame. The usual brackets employed for supporting the curtain-rods are usually removed by tenants of rented flats and buildings, necessitating the repeated mountings of new brackets, seriously damaging the woodwork and making it very unsightly in a very short time. The sockets, on the other hand, when firmly driven in and embedded in the woodwork are practically irremovable and remain to serve each succeeding tenant or occupant of the house or flat. The end-thrust bearings afforded by the bottom 13 and the springpressed disk 19 also hold the rod in place, thus saving the trouble of adjusting the ends of the curtain-rod evenly with respect to the window-frame. The sockets also afford supports against lateral movement of the rod in all directions and the liability of its being accidentally knocked from its supports, as frequently happens where the ordinary bracketsupports are employed. By providing curtain-rod supports on the sides of the windowframe which face each other instead of on the sides parallel to the sash not only is the objectionable exposures of curtain-rod ends done away with, but the window-frame operates to confine the spread of the curtain to the area which is between the side pieces of the frame and supports the sides of the curtain against accidentally covering up said side pieces. the frame is so blemished that it is desirable to cover it up the sockets will operate just as well in all other respects if mounted outside of the frame in suitable blocks of wood or holders, serving as2 and 3, but secured permanently to the frame on those sides of the In cases where the woodwork of IIO side pieces 2 and 3 which are parallel to the window-sash. A

I In order to prevent the washer, disk, or head 19 from accidentally drop ing out of the socket 10, I have provided t e mouth of the latter with an inwardly-projecting flange or stop 20 and aremovable end or bottom 21, so that the spring 12 and head 19 may be inserted from the rear end of the socket 10. As shown in Fig. 1, the diameter of the head 19 and the bore of the socket 10 are slightly greater than the diameter of'the rod 11 to allow room for the annular flange 20 and to permit the necessary angular movement, of the rod in the socket 10, which must take place when the rod is inserted or removed into and from its bearings or su ports. It is obvious that the sockets 9 an 10 need not necessarily be cylindrical or circular in crosssection and that they may have other forms, so long as they are sockets and support the rod against longitudinal movement accidentally, and against lateral movement in all directions.

Any device other than the spiral spring 12 for forcing the head 19 or its equivalent against the end 17 of the rod will come within the spirit of my invention, which is not limited in sco e to the exact details of construction herein shown and described, which scope in its broader conception contemplates relatively movable end-thrust bearings 13 and 19 and support laterally in all directions for the ends of the curtain-rod. To this end two sockets 10, with movable bearings 19 and spring 12, may be employed instead of one socket 9 and one socket 10, although the latter arrangement is in most cases preferable. By using two sockets 10 the rod may be removed by endwise movement in either direction but this would require a more careful adjustment of the s ring tensions and would entail the loss of t e positive or fixed stop of the bearing 13, which operates equally as Well with high as low pressure of the one spring 12 so long as the force of the latter is suflicient to press the end 18'of the rod against bearing 13.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent The combination, with a curtain-rod and a window-frame provided with socket-openings 15 and 16, of sockets 9 and 10 adapted to receive the ends of a curtain-rod, each of said sockets provided with a flange 14 Which serves to limit the inward movements of said sockets into said socket-openings, said socket 10 being of larger interior diameter than the diameter of the curtain-rod and provided with an inwardly-proj ecting flange or stop 20 a movable end-thrust bearing 19 movably confined within the socket 10, and a spring 12 arranged to bear against the bottom of the latter socket and against said bearing 19.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. I

HARRIET C. SOHOFIELD,

Witnesses:

I. H. ATHEY, J. W. BEOKSTROM. 

